About The Score
As I've said in the About WSM page, I am just another mall walker with a keen eye for visual merchandising. So, who else would better rate the store than customers like me?
In The Score, I will give my personal rating on the Window Display and the In-Store Design elements of the store's Visual Merchandising - 5 as the highest, 1 the lowest. There are many other elements to Visual Merchandising such as signages, branding and more but I've decided to focus on the key elements that would really turn "Just passing through" and "Just window shopping" shoppers to "I'm walking in" and "I am getting this, NOW!" buyers.
There are 5 principles to an effective Window Display:
1. Is the window ATTRACTIVE? The window should capture the attention of people passing the store. It should attract potential customers enough to make them stop and walk inside the store. Apart from the merchandise being displayed, the theme, lighting, and principles of design such as balance and harmony make a window attractive.
2. Is the window APPROPRIATE? The window is like a glimpse of the brand's overall character and messaging. The window should be able to convey to customers in three to five seconds what's in store for them. If you are a luxury brand and use cheap materials on your window display, this will likely turn off your target customers. At the same time, if you are a hip and young brand, then a old rocking chair probably has no business being in your window.
3. Is the window TIMELY? This pertains to the seasonality of your window's theme. If it is Valentine's, and your display is still stuck in New Year's, then you're probably telling me your stocks are outdated and "so-last-season." Windows are supposed to change every month, if not twice a month to keep them updated with trends in retail.
4. Is the window NEAT? Windows are typically clean but not neat. This is where harmony and balance comes to play. Each product and design element in the window must be properly placed.
5. Is the window MEMORABLE? Of all the many window displays that shoppers are exposed to, is your window display memorable enough for me to remember? Effective window displays are the ones that discerning shoppers like me can recall, atleast the basics on how it looked like.
Once inside the store, I'll be looking at the 3 As:
1. AMBIANCE: This relates to the stores's atmospherics - the overall design environment which includes the music, lighting, colors, and even scent to stimulate the customer's shopping experience.
2. ACCESSIBILITY of goods: This relates to the store's layout and how easy it is to pick up the merchandise. Some stores have a maze that works, while others will leave you wandering aimlessly until you're out the door.
3. ABILITY TO SELF-SELECT: This relates to the store's ability to provide suggestive visual cues so that they are enticed to shop more and ask less.
I'm sure you'll agree with me that these are important and actually entice you to shop and purchase. Now, let's enter the wold of Fashion in a new light, shall we? :)
Yours truly,
MJ
In The Score, I will give my personal rating on the Window Display and the In-Store Design elements of the store's Visual Merchandising - 5 as the highest, 1 the lowest. There are many other elements to Visual Merchandising such as signages, branding and more but I've decided to focus on the key elements that would really turn "Just passing through" and "Just window shopping" shoppers to "I'm walking in" and "I am getting this, NOW!" buyers.
There are 5 principles to an effective Window Display:
1. Is the window ATTRACTIVE? The window should capture the attention of people passing the store. It should attract potential customers enough to make them stop and walk inside the store. Apart from the merchandise being displayed, the theme, lighting, and principles of design such as balance and harmony make a window attractive.
2. Is the window APPROPRIATE? The window is like a glimpse of the brand's overall character and messaging. The window should be able to convey to customers in three to five seconds what's in store for them. If you are a luxury brand and use cheap materials on your window display, this will likely turn off your target customers. At the same time, if you are a hip and young brand, then a old rocking chair probably has no business being in your window.
3. Is the window TIMELY? This pertains to the seasonality of your window's theme. If it is Valentine's, and your display is still stuck in New Year's, then you're probably telling me your stocks are outdated and "so-last-season." Windows are supposed to change every month, if not twice a month to keep them updated with trends in retail.
4. Is the window NEAT? Windows are typically clean but not neat. This is where harmony and balance comes to play. Each product and design element in the window must be properly placed.
5. Is the window MEMORABLE? Of all the many window displays that shoppers are exposed to, is your window display memorable enough for me to remember? Effective window displays are the ones that discerning shoppers like me can recall, atleast the basics on how it looked like.
Once inside the store, I'll be looking at the 3 As:
1. AMBIANCE: This relates to the stores's atmospherics - the overall design environment which includes the music, lighting, colors, and even scent to stimulate the customer's shopping experience.
2. ACCESSIBILITY of goods: This relates to the store's layout and how easy it is to pick up the merchandise. Some stores have a maze that works, while others will leave you wandering aimlessly until you're out the door.
3. ABILITY TO SELF-SELECT: This relates to the store's ability to provide suggestive visual cues so that they are enticed to shop more and ask less.
I'm sure you'll agree with me that these are important and actually entice you to shop and purchase. Now, let's enter the wold of Fashion in a new light, shall we? :)
Yours truly,
MJ
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I'd love to hear from you! What do you think of the window display and the in-store merch? Share with me your Score (5 - excellent 4 - very good 3 - average 2 - needs improvement 1 - poor)